Sixth Trial

[letsplayamod]

That will be enough. Enter the arena, now.

[Typhon sounds almost reserved now. His tone no less commanding, he knows you'll need to enter the arena eventually. And, when you do arrive, he's already waiting. Emerged halfway out of the rift to watch you're approach

The wounds accrued in last week's shitshow have been healing, but marks remain. What you did - what Omega did - ate away at parts of him that Typhon is still growing back. At first, he's silent, tentacles of teeth gnashing over his shoulders, bellying a rage.]

Look at you all, a pantheon that shrinks day by day. This is the godly burden Athena has forced upon you. And if she were here, able to...

[He catches himself.]

This... is certain to be an exciting trial, I'm sure. Begin, if you can. I shall be watching intently.

[TRIAL START]

[Evidence]

Comments

CW: self-sacrificial/suicidal bullshit train has no brakes, choo choo

[sweetsynergy]

[Vanity strides into the arena like a thunderhead, a- no, the same picture as this morning in the bar, different filter. She’s obviously pissed and looking to make it everyone else’s problem, but she’s doing it in the same sleek combat uniform as last trial, rather than the chiton from this morning. The Twin Fists sit at her side, as do a pair of sheathed xiphe, daggers.]

All right. Whoever did this gets one fucking chance. I don’t give a shit about Saotome’s “dibs,” come forward now, say your piece, and I promise I’ll make it quicker than whatever the shit Typhon’s gonna do. Make us do this fucking nonsense again, and I promise it will hurt.

[raisethemoon]

[ ...Luna doesn't say a thing. But she's watching the others closely. ]

[treebornekettlegirl]

[Ranma arrives, energy low and face subdued. There wasn't enough time to go dump a kettle on herself. She doesn't really care enough about changing back to go do that anyway, not when there's murders to be solved.

... Seeing how spacious everything was makes her stomach twist and turn.]

Didn't get much of a good look at much, but there's blood leading out of the bar to the Craft's room. Red, s'got to be Aoi's. Followed it, and found burns outside a foot away by the bar's door. They weren't like what Omega did to the arena last week, though. These burns were shaped like branches or veins. Like...

[She pulls out her scoreboard and quickly etches the pattern]

These.

[pariunt]

[Astarion doesn't look surprised exactly, but he does raise his brows.]

Do you really think that would work?

[He clearly doesn't.]

Come, now. We can't afford to lose even more people.

[treebornekettlegirl]

Do I need to repeat what you told me durin' Zvei's trial, or...?

[Dry, but more in the emotionally drained than sarcastic.]

[fillets]

[ As some, or most, of the survivors have probably noticed, Riful's never actually come to a trial looking sad or even angry. No matter how much she says she liked a victim, or how unfortunate it is to have lost them, there's an inherent distance between her and any given person she's interacting with. A barrier not unlike Athena's stands before her, separating her from sympathy.

So it can't quite be said that she looks more upset than usual when she shows up at the arena, red and gold blood drying on the front of her peplos and a gold-soaked knife in her hand. But for those who've bothered to study her moods, such as they are, there's something there... something just a touch more sober about her serene face, some heaviness to her stance. ]

Vanity and Cerejeira, you investigated the bodies as well, so if I phrase anything unclearly, I do hope you'll chime in. [ THAT SAID SHE'S ABSOLUTELY STILL TALKING LIKE THIS ] I took this kitchen knife from Aoi's right hand. It came free easily enough. Before anyone suggests it was placed there, I'll say this: there was more of Quark's blood on her hand and sleeve. That doesn't mean it's completely impossible, of course, but staging that would take a bit more work!

Quark's fatal wound seems to be a stab to his lower left back that matches the knife in Aoi's hand. I examined it closely, to see whether the attacker had any idea what they were doing... and I did find something interesting. There were traces of Aoi's blood—well, red blood, I should say—in the wound itself. The reverse wasn't true for Aoi's wounds, though. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, of course, but red blood ruined the front of his clothes. His jacket and the thighs of his pants had taken the worst of it.

... Oh, and there was one more thing. His blood seemed just a bit more dry than hers. I can't say whether that means he died later for certain, since he wasn't human, but given the rest of the scene it seems likely. But that's for the others to tell you about! When it comes to my evidence, that's all there is.

[murchada]

[...she's not replying to this. she just sighs.]

[raisethemoon]

....I think that Fritz and the little Crito must have seen what happened. They were hidden beneath the bar. And...and some of the vines in the bar had withered.

[ What's that indicate? No idea really! ]

[sweetsynergy]

And I don't care. If our numbers are so goddamn important someone should have thought of that before killing Mukou and Quark.

[pariunt]

[Astarion shrugs.]

Make things difficult for the rest of us if you must.

[murchada]

Oh, god...

[that's. about the first part. like this isn't all horrible enough yet.]

They're... unharmed, at least?

[sweetsynergy]

Don't you start. You're just mad I'm not giving you a chance to do the same.

[murchada]

...That looks like lightning.

[raisethemoon]

They are.

[ She hasn't brought them along, obviously, but she got them settled back in her own room before coming here! ]

[taintedfayth]

[He frowns.]

Given the situation with all of us seeing things that weren't there, there is a possibility that what occurred was not entirely intentional. But as to whether that would be enough to spur someone into confessing... that I do not know. It may make them more reluctant to come forward.

[treebornekettlegirl]

[gasp HOW DARE YOU CALL OUT HER HYPOCRISY >:(]

The killer's stupid, they're not stupid enough to confess and get their butt kicked. So quit wastin' time and get t' sleuthing, Sherlock.

[letsplayamod]

[They have nothing to contribute and potentially even snuck onto the training grounds behind Luna when she entered but the Winions have decided to stick to her like glue now.

They stand huddled together behind her front legs, looking out at everyone with no small amount of concern.]

cw: dehumanization

[sweetsynergy]

Oh, now you care about cooperation.

[One hand rests on a dagger hilt.]

I've been a fucking idiot here anyway. Omega had the right idea, at least for a while. I'm a goddamn weapon, I should be acting like it.

[treebornekettlegirl]

That's what I was thinkin' too. I didn't look over the bodies this time, did either of 'em look like they got zapped?

[murchada]

At least there's that. Poor things.

[raisethemoon]

...they would not like to hear you speak of yourself so.

[fillets]

[ Riful's been keeping a close watch on both Vanity and Ranma since before they got here. She doesn't say anything when Vanity gives her ultimatum.

It would have been easier for her to not say a word until they find the killer, and gut them then. She's quite grateful that the girl's chosen to do the more honorable thing, but she's absolutely not going to follow her example. Let it come as a surprise when she holds her back. ]

[sweetsynergy]

We're gonna find out sooner or later, we ALWAYS FUCKING DO. I'm giving them a chance to do it now and get the closest goddamn thing to mercy they're gonna get instead of wasting our time and PISSING ME OFF.

[raisethemoon]

[ Yeah, she definitely tried to leave them with Fritz and Critwo, but...she doesn't really say anything when they follow anyhow. She'll allow it! ]

[murchada]

Nothing on their bodies that I noticed.